Freemuse Defending Artistic Freedom
On 2 November 2017, the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information required that award-winning Saudi writer and columnist Dr Badria al-Bishr’s novel “Thursday’s Visitors” be removed from bookstores after some called it pornographic, reported Hindustan Times.
Controversy over the novel, released late last year, began on 31 October 2017 when a Saudi blogger posted a tweet in which he asked prominent book chain Jarir Bookstore: “How can a book with this content be sold in the children’s books section?”
The next day, the book chain responded with a tweet, saying they supported the blogger’s observations and withdrew the novel from its shelves.
The Ministry of Culture and Information quickly responded via social media to the growing controversy on social media, stating they’ve pulled the book and were opening up an investigation on the matter, reported Alquds.
The novel tells the story of a woman’s self-discovery through weekly Thursday meetings with other women in which they share stories with each other.
